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X and Philosophy

John Williams and The Philosophical Power of Music By Edwardo Pérez Star Wars movies used to be released three years apart (1977, 1980, 1983 and then 1999, 2002, and 2005). This time was valuable – for the audience (who, like me, could fantasize about the next adventure while playing with the various toy ships…

Nietzsche and Slipknot Challenge You to All-Out Life Ashley L. Whitaker, Ph.D. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche introduces a blueprint of human spiritual transformation in the form of his allegory of the three metamorphoses, depicting a transition from camel to lion to child. Humans must begin like the submissive camel, weighed down with a heavy load of tradition, our…

Finding One’s Own Way (or Doctrine and the Individual) Hermann Hesse and Iron Fist By Matthew William Brake A Word Before… For this blog, I sought the help of friends in determining the perfect existentialist thinker for Danny Rand. Iron Fist’s character and background is rooted in Eastern thought (or at least, Western stereotypes of…

A Marxist Viewing of Avengers: Infinity War By Elliot Dolan-Evans The release of the latest Marvel blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War, has coincided with an age of political uncertainty and upheavals, and the 200th birthday of Karl Marx. Released in the current political climate of Trump, Brexit, and nuclear crises, with a resurgence of class struggle,…

The 100 and the Problem of Evil By Edwardo Pérez One of the interesting narrative dilemmas for post-apocalyptic fiction is deciding what happens after the world is destroyed. How does society get rebuilt? What does that society value? What are its morals, beliefs, religions, and laws? Of course, not many such stories really show this.…

Rick Sanchez as Educator By Justin Kitchen Rick and Morty is a sci-fi animated series shown during Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block. In it, Rick Sanchez frequently pulls his grandson, Morty, out of school to accompany him on intergalactic and interdimensional adventures. Though his father, Jerry, often protests Morty’s being taken out of class…

7 Seconds Title Matters By William Irwin Last night my wife and I finished watching the Netflix series 7 Seconds. It’s terrific, but it’s been cancelled. Though it left loose ends for continuation, the finale of 7 Seconds was satisfying. Honestly, I’m glad that there won’t be a second season. Some things are better when…